Canadian Army unveils its new urban operations training system 31708153

Armies in the world - Canada
 
Canadian Army unveils its new urban operations training system
The Canadian Army (CA) is continuing to prepare the Army of Tomorrow by constructing urban warfighting training villages on some of its military bases – complete with special effects like the intense flash of a detonation, the nerve-wracking sound of artillery fire and the acrid smell of spent explosives.
     
Canadian army urban operations training system 640 001Kingston - Ontario. Urban landscapes
     
War takes the soldier wherever the enemy may be, and that means close-quarters combat in cities and towns has been and will continue to be common in many conflicts. Practise makes perfect, or at the very least, it increases soldiers’ competence and confidence levels when faced with the realities of actual urban combat.

With the intent to polish up its urban tactics, techniques and procedures, the CA is building urban landscapes out of concrete and enhancing them with special effects such as realistic sights, sounds and smells.

Called the Urban Operations Training System (UOTS), it consists of six life-sized villages on Canadian military bases including Edmonton, Shilo, Petawawa, Valcartier, Gagetown and Wainwright.

UOTS facilities are designed for use by opposing teams totalling up to 250 soldiers with their vehicles and equipment at a time.

The largest UOTS installation is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2017 in Wainwright, representing 50 per cent of the basic infrastructure budget, not including special effects equipment. When completed, it will have between 18 and 23 full-scale buildings.

In May 2012, $140M was approved for the implementation of the new system. Local contractors have been constructing the buildings on the bases, but the special effects sensors and simulators are the domain of Cubic Defense Application (CDA). UOTS is part of a larger simulation system known as Weapons Effects System (WES), parts of which are also delivered by CDA.

(Lynn Capuano, Army Public Affairs)